Seattle Collection

I made a few more green and blue pieces for the growing Christmas inventory.   These earrings use the green and blue canes I created in August as well as an older design from last year.

Return of the Wine Charms

I've received many requests for wine charms over the past year, so I added about 8 sets to the Christmas inventory.  I'm hopeful my sales projection is correct.  There won't be much time for last minute beading between final exams and papers this year!

The Clay Art Process

Designing clay beads is both tedious and fun.  The process begins by choosing a few colors and softening the clay with with my pasta machine.

With the softened pieces, I begin the creative part of the process.  I use different colors to form a design which begins around the size of a small cookie. Below is a snapshot that shows a butterfly piece "in the works".

Once the design is complete, the clay is reduced in size by rolling or extruding.  The pieces that you see below are commonly referred to as clay canes.

From here, the canes are sliced using a sharp blade and laminated onto clay balls.  These soft clay beads are then pieced with a skewer, placed onto my trusty baking rack (shown below) and cooked at 275 deg F for 15 min.  Yes - that is the only recipe I know by heart.

That's it!  Once the clay is hardened it can be fashioned into jewelry just like any other bead.  I find the entire process to be relaxing and creatively stimulating.  I like to call it my "clay therapy"!

White House Black Market Inspirations

I designed this red braclet set for a friend who adores White House Black Market. What color goes better with B&W?! This was also the first time I designed larger, flat links with polymer clay versus my traditional disc and ball shapes. I may try a few more of these...

Seattle Collection

The dreary Boston summer has inspired lots of rainy day colors. Here's a few shots of my latest work.

Cross Pendants

I designed these cross pendants for a friend last week. I started with the flat design (on the left) by assembling 3 different square shaped canes. However, after I baked it...it looked a little plain Jane. So, I decided to make a second version that was 3-dimensional. For this one (on the right) I layered clay pieces from several canes onto a clay backing. Then, I cut a cross shape from the finished design.

White House Black Market Collection

Unfortunately for Ann Taylor's stock price....I've discovered a new store! White House Black Market has some fabulous office and evening wear styles. A little pricey, but worth it! Below is a new braclet and ear ring set that I designed to go with a few of my new digs. Hoping to create a red set sometime next weekend.